Aquarius as the rising sign can be a lot of trouble. The combination of traditional ruler Saturn and modern ruler Uranus can send such a mixed message that onlookers may either see Aquarius as a wet blanket, as a libertine, or as someone who swings between the two! One with the Aquarian Ascendant can come to feel as if no matter what, others will simply see what they want to see, but this oddly Neptunian take on things is inaccurate; what the Aquarius rising person doesn’t grasp right away is that they really do show an array of conflicting elements of persona to onlookers—no wonder the observers, and Aquarius, are confused. Usually those with the sign of the Waterbearer rising will take a little more to one ruler than the other; inspection of the natal chart typically reveals either a Uranian or a Saturnian leaning—but all Aquarius rising individuals show at least a little of both, and it’s usual for this rising sign to identify with only one of these at a time—meaning when Aquarius is showing Saturn, he’s putting a Capricornian face on things: repressive, strict, maybe fearful, stoically working, and when he’s showing Uranus he’s spontaneous, rebellious, and often living in his head, treating life as if it’s an academic exercise—and no matter what personality is being exhibited, Aquarius believes the one they’re showing is consistent, that it’s the one they always show. Au contraire–it is not—and only time and Self-awareness will convince them otherwise.

From the inside looking out, Aquarius rising tries to process everything through the mind. This can give the impression of confidence, especially if Aquarius is naturally sharp, but the war inside Aquarius shakes whatever confidence the mental faculties offer to the core: it’s over stability and consistency and nose to the grindstone effort v. originality, ignoring the rules, and a willingness to create upheaval in the name of the revolutionary and new. The weakness here is that the mind simply isn’t equipped to handle matters of emotion, spirit, and the physical, and so Aquarius gets knocked down repeatedly and soon feels that neither approach will pay off. This all originates with the survival needs of childhood, that required Aquarius to intellectually shine (as when the parents ‘show off’ the child’s abilities and take credit for their offspring) or that generally forbid much physical play/ projects or that made emotional displays (especially displays of certain unacceptable emotions, like anger) off limits. Aquarius, in trying to accommodate early caretakers, would turn to the mental arena for activity that garnered acceptance—and sometimes they never get out of this pattern.

This Ascendant generally conveys a lively personality, one that’s engaging, entertaining, and somewhat wearing on others in its less mature forms. The intent is one of exploration focused on what’s new to the individual, to what can be learned (or to discovering all that is known about a subject), so for some their company may be a little too academically inclined. Aquarius likes to discuss things, and there’s no limit to the topics or where that talk may range. They’re brave, in their way, and don’t mind being first with something risky–they display the courage of their Aries brethren, tempered with careful calculations of the odds and of their own abilities: they’re willing to experiment, but that doesn’t mean they’re crazy!

The influence of ancient ruler Saturn encourages a continuing assessment for these individuals, trained on the suitability of the status quo and the potential need for revolution. They watch for those places where the old guard may break down, ready to propose a new order, if the group will support it (and them, possibly in the role of leader–this Ascendant likes to lead during the upheaval, then step back once things settle down).

Aquarius rising thinks about themselves in terms of the group, but always with awareness of their own individuality, measuring perpetually what they are getting, and what they are giving, to the group. Until Aquarius learns to break down those barriers, to remove the ‘me against the world’ thinking, they will continue with a kind of existential loneliness haunting the personality. Often, they’ve been taught to subsume the Self to the group, and when that becomes intolerable, they rebel, and neither response heals the problem. It’s only when Aquarius gives up the childish definition of ‘I’ for the more mature, Leo oriented one (that centers on generosity, on genuinely putting the Self first for one’s health and best expression, on treasuring the Self for talents, abilities, and the Sun-Soul Purpose, on feeling through the heart center) that this rising sign will give up the stubbornness and reactionary take on interaction and supplant it with exchange that makes the most of both the innate intellectual prowess and the original and unique qualities and point of view.